The present invention relates generally to mechanically processing shrimp, and more particularly to the automated removal of the vein and shell from a headless shrimp.
A variety of problems associated with peeling the shell from a shrimp and removing the sand vein (deveining) continues to plague the industry with long felt needs to efficiently and not only economically provide the shrimp meat, but provide the meat with a desirable appearance. During the cutting of the shell prior to removal, the cutting blades often tear into the meat making many processed shrimp undesirable for presentation to customers in salads, by way of example, and useful only for a lower priced chopped meat used as a filling. There is a need for cutting the shell without damage to the meat, while still being able to effectively remove the shell and vein from the shrimp. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,682 to Lapeyre discloses the need for providing a clean-cut operation which preserves the integrity of the shrimp meat by individually cradling and securing one shrimp for cutting through a dorsal side of the shrimp and ripping out the vein.
For large quantities, restaurants and retail stores have typically relied upon commercial processors for providing the peeled and deveined shrimp. Processors will typically rely on large machines such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 24,115; 2,760,224; and 3,040,374 to Miller, by way of example. And while it is known to saw through the shell of the shrimp, as described by way of example, with reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,787,928 to Domecki which discloses a shrimp splitting and cleaning machine in which the shrimp are mounted on a rotating transport wheel which feeds through a splitting and cleaning process, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,543 to Martin which uses a conveyor belt for transporting pre-oriented shrimp for uncurling, cutting, and washing for removing the vein from the shrimp body. The integrity of the meat would be better served, no pun intended, with a gentle handling of the shrimp being processed to meet the still present need for effectively cutting the shell and removing the sand vein while maintaining a high efficiency in the process.
Further, in the interest of freshness and cost, there is a need for a machine that can be effectively used by a grocer, a chef, and a seafood retailer, by way of example, without having the need for the high volume processing and experience of a commercial processor. There is a further need to be able to automatically process the shrimp in a timely manner, without undesirable handling, and with the result of a desirable production for the effort and time spent. The cleaning and preparation of a fresh shrimp should not have unfavorably impact on the available space, available water supply, and other normally required business operations.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shrimp deveining and peeling machine that is easily handled and economical for use in retail establishments, such as grocery stores, seafood markets, restaurants, in addition to being practical for use in commercial shrimp processing plants.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention, are provided by a shrimp processing apparatus useful in removing the sand vein from a desirable shrimp meat portion and peeling the shell therefrom. The apparatus comprises a housing with a plurality of radially opposing conveyor roller pairs carried by the housing in a spaced relation and rotatably driven for conveying a headless shrimp from an upstream pair of conveyor roller pairs receiving the shrimp at an entrance end of the housing to a downstream roller pair for ejecting a processed shrimp therefrom. Each roller of the downstream roller pair includes a plurality of teeth elements radially extending therefrom for penetrating side wall shell sections of a cut shrimp and peeling the side wall sections from a desirable meat portion of the shrimp. A dorsal cutting blade is carried by the housing and is positioned for cutting a strip into a shrimp dorsal side along the longitudinal axis and exposing a sand vein in a cut shrimp. A brush, carried by the housing and positioned downstream the cutting blade, is used to sweep the sand vein from the cut shrimp as the cut shrimp is conveyed therepast through the conveyor roller pairs. In an alternate embodiment, a ventral cutting blade is also carried by the housing and is positioned downstream the entrance end for cutting through a shrimp ventral side along the longitudinal axis thereof.
A method aspect of the invention includes the steps of removing the sand vein from a desirable shrimp meat portion and peeling the shell therefrom. The method comprises the steps of receiving a shrimp at an entrance end of a plurality of rotatably driven conveyor roller pairs aligned in a spaced relation for conveying the shrimp therethrough, conveying the shrimp downstream the entrance end, cutting an elongate strip within a dorsal side of the shrimp for exposing a sand vein within a cut shrimp, sweeping the sand vein from the cut shrimp, peeling the shell away from a desirable meat portion of the cut shrimp, and ejecting the deveined and peeled shrimp from the housing. Alternatively, the method will further include the step of cutting the shrimp through a ventral side thereof along the longitudinal axis thereof.